Ian Cathcart

European classics and Asian fusion

Average: 5.00/5

About the Chef

Ian discovered his love of food at a very early age, influenced heavily by his mother, a chef and great home cook. Ian started cooking professionally at 17 in gastro pubs and various agencies, but soon found the London hotel and restaurant scene. He worked in the trendy and popular 'Asia de Cuba' at the St Martins Lane h......Ian discovered his love of food at a very early age, influenced heavily by his mother, a chef and great home cook. Ian started cooking professionally at 17 in gastro pubs and various agencies, but soon found the London hotel and restaurant scene. He worked in the trendy and popular 'Asia de Cuba' at the St Martins Lane hotel followed by SUKA at the Sanderson, learning the finest pan-Asian cooking. Ian also worked at the world famous Porthminster Beach Cafe in St Ives and acclaimed Michelin star bistro 'Arbutus', where he developed his classic and modern European skills. Ian studied an NVQ in professional cookery at Westminster Kingsway College, then a degree in Culinary Arts at the London School of Hospitality, passing the course with distinction. Since then he has worked as a private chef to Middle Eastern royalty and had the good fortune to travel whilst cooking.Read allHide

Main course options are to be taken by all the guests and served with a variety of seasonal sides which could include roast beetroots with balsamic, cauliflower cheese gratin, heritage kale with chestnuts, potted cabbage, glazed carrots. All include roast potatoes and the relevant jus

11 client reviews

Anne L.(Host),
on
14/01/2019

I'd just like to thank you for a fab evening on Saturday. Ian was excellent his food was delicious, he was well organised, arrived on time and easy company .The office were easy to deal with helpful and very pleasant in manner. The Web site I found easy to use and comprehensive Very impressed all round look forward to using the service again.

Paul G.(Host),
on
25/11/2018

Ian was great - very clear communication pre the event, very flexible on choices and very accommodating. On the night he was great - very professional, great food, chatty and pleasant and then tidied up amazingly! Almost like he wasn’t there!

Claire N.(Host),
on
30/08/2018

Pleased with the communication from LaBelleAssiette when the chef is booked need to change. Ian, our replacement chef was very friendly, spoke us through the food in each course and left the kitchen more tidy than when he arrived!

Nicholas W.(Host),
on
01/07/2018

I’m not one for leaving reviews usually but Ian was so friendly and professional, and the food so great, that I wanted to pass on my thanks to Ian for making it a fantastic day and to recommend to anyone thinking of hiring a private chef for a celebration that this is definitely the way to go if you want to actually spend time talking to your guests, relaxing and enjoying yourself instead of spending the whole time in the kitchen and racing around.

My father is a retired head chef (something we didn’t tell Ian in advance) and my father enjoyed the great food and the whole experience, so what more recommendations do you need...?

Jack S.(Guest),
on
11/05/2018

The meal was of a quality you would expect in a high end restaurant, but with the atmosphere of a dinner party at home, which made for a very relaxed evening with gorgeous food.

The chef was professional and friendly, and provided a very high quality of service, both with preparing the food efficiently and quickly, and leaving the kitchen looking immaculate afterwards.

I would absolutely recommend this service to anyone wanting an impressive dinner party event.

La Belle Assiette (.(Host),
on
11/05/2018

Could not have asked for a better evening - Ian was welcoming and simply made the night spectacular! Not only was the evening entertaining, but Ian engaged with each guest and the food was out of this world. I would book another dining experience with a private chef from La Belle Assiette in a heart beat. The menu only improved each course...my favourite being the duck starter! Thank you again Ian for an incredible evening - J

Ethan M.(Guest),
on
10/05/2018

Beautiful meal! From start to finish, it was oustanding. My personal favourite was the pork which melted perfectly in my mouth. My only wish is that I could of had more. 5 star night, 5 start meal!

Sophie G.(Guest),
on
10/05/2018

Ian was absolutely fantastic. He cooked the most beautiful food and every course was sheer perfection - my guests included two very fussy eaters and even they were happy. The portions were just the right size, the duck had a wonderful flavour and texture, the pork was the best I have ever had, it quite literally melted in the mouth; and the apple tart was just what was needed at the end of the meal - light but hit that sweet spot perfectly. It was also very impressive seeing Ian add the finishing touches to the tart with a chef's blowtorch! He was wonderfully polite and friendly and left the kitchen spotless. I would have absolutely no hesitation in asking Ian to come back to cook for my next dinner party.

Elise G.(Guest),
on
10/05/2018

A phenomenal experience! The interaction with the admin team was seamless and enabled our evening to run smoothly without stress. Chef Ian was very friendly and engaging. In selecting the French Country menu, we were blown away by the packed flavour each course brought. The Duck Rillette starter was my favourite meal of the night! The Pork Belly main was succulent and the accompanying vegetables were delicious. To only top the night off, the blow torched Tart Tatin was simply sublime!! I would hands down use La Belle Assiette's services again, and certainly Chef Ian. We cannot thank you enough Ian and look forward to seeing you again in future!

Harry C.(Guest),
on
10/05/2018

Last weekend Ian came over to the house and cooked a delicious three-course meal for our party of 6 guests. Our ‘Duke Rillets and Redcurrant Compote’ starter was absolutely divine and the Pork Belly was simply outstanding. Our evening finished with a ‘Tart Tartin’ with a hint of Thyme, warm Bruschetta and a real appreciation to the effort he put into making our meals so delicious.
Not only was we overjoyed by the marvellous quality and taste of the food but also very much enjoyed Ian’s company and felt in very good hands throughout the evening. I would most certainly recommend him to anyone.

Georgia B.(Guest),
on
10/05/2018

Ian cooked a stunningly presented and delicious 3 course meal for our party of 6 at my house. He cooked a mouth watering 'Petit Sale' main and his sourdough bread was divine topped with the 'Duck Rillets and Redcurrant Compote' to start. Serving us each individually his personality and passion for flavours added to everyone's culinary experience. His innovative addition of Thyme in the 'Tart Tartin' for desert has made me rethink the basic ingredients when cooking apple tart myself, the sweetness of the apple combined with the herbal freshness of the thyme was a final treat for the palette .
I strongly recommend Ian's French Country menu to anyone else looking to be inspired by good homely artisan menu.
I would definitely book him again if I considered hosting a similar event in the future.

The Chef Ian Cathcart in 3 questions

What is your signature dish?

I think it's hard to choose a signature dish that as a chef you can claim as your own. I used make a starter of glazed and boneless beef short ribs with pickled carrots and cauliflower, which required a lot of work and technique to be perfect but it would seem to some to be a simple dish. Some of my favourite things to cook (and eat) are a bit more classic: I love Petit sale - a dish of slightly salted braised pork belly with lentils de puy and poached vegetables.

What are your favourite 3 ingredients and why ?

A bit boring I know but 1 has to be chicken, the versatility and popularity is obvious enough but the real reason is because a good roast chicken that's perfect and juicy is one of the most delicious and comforting foods ever! I think as an ingredient I have to include vinegar, absolutely vital in so many dishes, sauces, dressings and generally pretty humble. Finally I'm going with my favourite herb - Thyme. I love the smell!

The first dish I ever cooked was...

I remember when I was young and my mum would entertain, a lot! I would try to get involved. At barbecues in the summer I would always be the one who made the marinades for the meat, under mum's supervision of course and that, in turn, led to making barbecue sauces too!